1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sanitary proximity fixture with an assigned control means which has a sensor means and a valve means which is coupled to the control means, after acquisition of a signal by the sensor means the control means triggering the valve means to release the water.
2. Description of Related Art
A proximity fixture of the initially mentioned type is already known from practice. The known proximity fixtures which are used in the industrial and public domain, compared to manually actuated fixtures, have various advantages of use which are also of interest in the private domain, specifically
contactless operation PA1 saving of energy and water PA1 easy cleaning PA1 security against vandalism PA1 saving of water by autoclosure after a given time interval PA1 prevention of infections.
Other advantages prevail only in the commercial and industrial domain, specifically
Although proximity fixtures have been in commercial and industrial use for a long time, they are not common in the private domain. One of the reasons for the fact that proximity fixtures have not be able to prevail to date in the private domain is the comparatively poor handling when warm and cold water are required in alternation. Conventional proximity fixtures for this reason have a switching mechanism which can be manually actuated and must be switched by hand, again neutralizing the advantages of contactless turning-off. The operation of switching requires more time than for example in a lever mixer.
In addition, in the private domain the private user often requires operating functions which cannot be performed with the known proximity fittings, for example the possibility of choosing a longer running time for the water for the conventional autoclosing function or being able to turn the fixture off entirely. In addition there is a system-induced defect of proximity fixtures, regardless of whether they are being used in the commercial and industrial or private domain, in that their operation is often not reliable enough since the sensor means can be disrupted by dirt or by other external effects. Finally, changes of electrical components can lead to malfunctions.